GALLERY

“This is my first Lady Gaga show ever, which is really, really, really exciting,” said Adam Warner, 20, a New York City resident and student at USC. “The day that I came out, I listened to Lady Gaga for like nine hours, just sitting on my bed.” Pointing down at the fashionable black shoes he was wearing, he added: “Seeing the Christian Louboutins in the ‘Alejandro’ video gave me courage to wear my high heels outside, also.”

Warner was accompanied by his friend and fellow USC undergrad Tess Goodwin, who, like, several other concertgoers, was glad in a vintage wedding dress and styled in a way that was uniquely Gaga-esque.

“It’s my second time seeing Lady Gaga,” said Goodwin, 18, of Los Angeles. “I saw her in New Orleans about a year and a half ago and it was so amazing, I felt like I was high on her. Lady Gaga is basically my religion. She just has such a way with words and she's so authentic and honest. I really feel like, if people gave her a chance and stopped saying she was weird and crazy they would really learn something."

“The wedding dress, I keep saying, is like to demonstrate how the Monster Ball is more than just a concert,” Warner explained. “It’s about ceremony and ritual.”

“Exactly,” Goodwin said.

“This is of religious magnitude for us,” Warner said. “This is what we believe in. This is a way of bridging out with our culture.”

The audience at Staples Center was, in many ways, a study in diversity. Tweens, teens, moms, dads, seniors, gays, straights, blacks, whites, Asians, Hispanics — all seemed to be well represented as they made their way into the venue.

Even a contingent of West Hollywood civic leaders was in attendance. Among those spotted in line while waiting to pass through security was former City Councilwoman Lindsey Horvath, who narrowly missed reelection earlier this month when she placed fifth among a field of 10 council candidates.

Asked to assess the widespread appeal of Lady Gaga, who recently added her 9 millionth follower on Twitter, Horvath said: “I think she really just creates a space for everyone who’s exceptional, for everyone who’s different, for everyone who’s just looking for a home. She creates that space for everyone.

“She let’s people know that it’s cool to just let people know who you are — I think that’s the greatest thing about her,” said Horvath, noting that this was the third Lady Gaga show she had attended in Los Angeles.

The concert doubled as both a fundraiser and birthday celebration for Lady Gaga, who was born Stephani Germanotta on March 28, 1986, in New York City.

“Tonight, all the money made from selling these bracelets, as usual, goes to saving lives in Japan,” she announced from the stage, during a break in the show. She was referring to the $5 Lady Gaga-designed wristbands with the phrase "We pray for Japan" written in English and Japanese, which she began selling online soon after the devastating earthquake and tsunami, donating 100% of the proceeds to relief efforts. In just the first two days of sales, the bracelets proved to be hugely popular. "Monsters: in just 48 hrs you've raised a quarter of a million dollars for Japan Relief," Gaga Tweeted on March 14.

During the same break, her backup dancers and crew brought a birthday cake out onto the stage and the crowd serenaded her (“HAPPY BIRTH-DAY, DEAR GA-GA … “).

“I’m going to wish for the health and happiness of all of my fans around the world. Thank you,” said a visibly moved Lady Gaga, before blowing out the candles.

WHAT DO YOU WANNA KNOW?

"Style is a way of life and without it you’re nobody. But, I’m not talking about a lot of clothes, style and fashion does not equal materialism." I am a senior PR major and Visual Culture minor at USC.